How to Make the Best Soul-Warming Beef Stew in Your Crock Pot

This soul-warming Beef Stew is a favorite with my friends and family. A hearty stew that only takes 15 minutes to prep and the slow cooker does the rest turning the meat, potatoes, carrots fork-tender.

Beef stew is, of course, a classic dish that warms the heart as much as it warms your mouth and stomach. One bite and the flavors take you back to Sunday dinners at Mom’s house, with meals full of love and care. The fact that this one only takes 15 minutes to prep before allowing the slow cooker to take over and do it’s job, letting you actually enjoy that quality time with your family? Priceless.

We’re making our stew with the usual suspects: beef stew meat, of course, plus a foundation of potatoes, onion, celery, carrots and fresh herbs. That’s all mixed together with a few other, slightly-more-special ingredients to give this stew some kick and even more savory flavor. Watch to see what they are and how it all comes together, then read on for the full recipe!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Serves 4 to 6Prep Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 8 hours 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1-½ pounds potatoes, 1-inch dice

2 medium onions, 1-inch dice

3 medium carrots, 1-inch chop

3 stalks celery, 1-inch chop

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 to 2-½ pounds beef stew meat, 2-inch cubes

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

⅓ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging

1 cup red wine

3 cups beef broth

1 – 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

Place the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf in the liner of a slow cooker. Using kitchen twine, tie together the rosemary and thyme, and add to the slow cooker.

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Generously season the beef with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Working in batches, dredge the beef in flour. Shake off any excess and place the beef in the hot sauté pan, browning all sides. Add the seared beef to the slow cooker.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine, loosening up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mix to the slow cooker.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and the diced tomatoes to the slow cooker, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Cover and cook for 6 hours on high.

Remove the cover and continue to cook for an additional 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat and vegetables are fork tender and the stew has thickened.

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Simple, classic, delicious– it doesn’t get better than a stew like this one! We especially love the addition of the fond from deglazing the pan with the red wine, because cooking with wine? Almost as fun as eating with it!

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What do you think of our Slow Cooker Beef Stew? Will you give it a try this fall? How would you change it up and make it your own? Let us know if you give it a try and be sure to tell us how it turns out for you!